Cast in Shadow
by Star in Ruin
Summary: In the halls of Imladris, Aragorn is faced with a disconcerting dream not his own, but that of Legolas. Oneshot. Revised.


_Author's Note: This was based on a real dream I had not too long ago. I didn't describe the whole thing in detail, but it really made me appreciate my friends and family. I guess you never realize how much someone means to you until their gone. Anyway, this is dedicated to my awesomest friends: Anariyah and Faylee. Thanks, you guys. You mean the world to me. _

_Disclaimer: We all know who this stuff belongs to, and we also know it's not me._

_**Cast in Shadow**_

Aragorn paced through the halls of Imladris, his determined steps taking him from hall to hall, his path lit only by the occasional streak of lightening, seemingly in search of something. In reality, he was looking for a some_ one_. And few people could mean so much to him that the Ranger would scour the whole of Rivendell at three in the morning in an attempt to find them.

Aragorn did not know what had woken him in the first place. His dreams were of Arwen, but something disrupted them. He woke to a building sense of dread inside him, and thought for a moment that the Last Homely House was under siege. However, all was peaceful. The horror he felt in his bones did not fade as was the wont of lingering terror, and suddenly, he had a vision of a lone figure, hair gleaming in a pale light.

A single thought flashed through his mind: _Legolas_.

His old friend had come to visit for a short while before Aragorn left once again for the Wilds. It had been at least seven years since they had seen each other last. Perhaps that was not so long for the Elf, but it was certainly too long for the son of Arathorn.

Aragorn first searched the gardens, thinking that perhaps the light had been that of the moon and stars which Legolas so often sought. His search had been in vain, however, for there was no one there to be found. The old oak which the Wood-Elf haunted frequently was unoccupied so far as Aragorn could make out. It was then another vision struck, a brief glimpse of a dancing flame.

So now the Dunadan found himself on his way to the Hall of Fire. As he entered, he caught sight of a lithe form sitting by the hearth, bathed in the fire's warm glow. Aragorn sat down beside him in silence, having glimpsed the distressed expression on his face, and Legolas seemed to draw strength from his presence. It was a while before the Elf spoke. Legolas turned his head towards his dearest friend, and Aragorn was startled to see what was hidden in those blue depths. Fear.

"Estel..."

"I am here, Legolas" reassured the Ranger.

Legolas hesitated a moment before continuing. "I dreamt this night. It was dark, without a flame of hope in any form."

Lightening flashed outside and the rain began to pour in sheets.

Aragorn said nothing, but simply nodded, encouraging the Elf to continue. Having grown up in a realm cast in the Shadow, his dreams must have been dark indeed to trouble him so. What was more, he should have been able to control them, more or less. And Aragorn was sure Legolas was not gifted with foresight, so this was a strange occurrence indeed.

"Shadow covered all corners of Arda, and there was pain...for everyone; everyone I ever knew or cared about. I - I couldn't - I had to get away..." Ashamed, he turned back to the fire, and Aragorn saw the flames reflected in his ageless eyes.

Thunder rolled heavily in the bleak sky.

"I left you behind." The Elf's voice was now a whisper, and Aragorn scarcely heard him over the rain.

At last, Aragorn elected to speak.. "It was a dream only, my friend."

Legolas shook his head. "Elven dreams differ from those of mortals...and it was so _real_."

Not knowing what else to say, Aragorn laid his hand gently on the Elf's shoulder. How long they in this manner, Aragorn knew not.

The Hall looked warm and welcoming near the hearth, where the light stove off the shadows, yet where the rest was concealed in darkness it looked neither inviting nor approachable. Only when the lightening flashed and the room could be seen for what it truly was could Aragorn regain control of his imagination, which had been conjuring Orcs and Wargs and Trolls and placing them in the shadow's depths.

At last, however, he was glad to see a spark of the usual blaze rekindle in Legolas' eyes.

He turned his head away from the fire and met Aragorn's gaze with a determined one of his own.

"I left you behind," he said. "But I would die before I did it again."

Aragorn saw the lightening outside reflect in the sincere eyes of the friend he knew he would be lost without.

_A/N: And there you have it. I bit short, I know, but hey - size isn't everything. So, you wanna tell me what you think?_


End file.
